Bristol's Frankie DaPonte Jr. never pictured himself speaking fluent Korean, living full time in Seoul, or being in a boy band, but thanks to a Columbia University graduate thesis project he is doing all of those things.

DaPonte began performing as a child and continued to get inspired by the idea of working professionally as an actor and singer while studying theater at Mt. Hope High School in Bristol.

He would eventually make the move to New York City where he auditioned for the K-Pop project, and found himself on the verge of an opportunity of a lifetime.

EXP Edition started as an experiment to see if a non-Korean K-Pop idol group could be developed.

After working tirelessly to hone their voices, personas, dance moves, and a new language, DaPonte and the rest of the group are now primed to become a bona fide force in Korean pop music.

They recently released their first single “Feel Like This” with an album coming out later this year.